In the aftermath of a significant medical "adventure," during which Google helped saved my life, I feel compelled to share what I have learned.

Early this year, oak allergy made me miserable. Around March, chest pains occurred when riding up steep hills. I surmised this to be connected with the allergies, but reported the pains to my doctor nevertheless. This resulted in another medication. Last Monday, after a fifth painful steep hill ride, I came home and goggled. The result sent me into high gear, landing me at the Heart Hospital where an angiogram showed the large artery supplying blood to my heart muscle to be nearly occluded. I now possess a brand new experimental-anti-plaque-Abbot-Labs stint.

No heart damage had yet occurred, and a daily dose of Aspirin, Plavix, and Pravachol may henceforth preclude any in future. The latter should lower my cholesterol from 148, fine for people without a family history of arteriosclerosis, I was now told, to around 70.

In short, had I not finally prioritized my own feelings about what my body was telling me, and googled up information enabling me to act rationally, I wouldn't be writing this note with nothing worse than a little groin ache.